Archives for May 2020

Predicted IELTS Speaking Topics May-Aug 2020

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Below are predicted IELTS Speaking Topics for May, June, July & August 2020. Please read all this page carefully so that you prepare properly for your IELTS Speaking Test.

Note:

  • Below are predicted topics for part 1 and part 2 speaking
  • Part 3 questions are based on your part 2 topic
    • Example:
    • Part 2: A skill
    • Part 3: learning, practical skills, technology, skills for business & work, children learning skills etc
  • Do you want topics for IELTS Writing Task 2?

Preparing Speaking Topics

IELTS do not release their list of questions for IELTS Speaking. This is to ensure that you don’t memorise answers and the test fairly checks your natural level of English. But you can prepare predicted and common topics. By preparing as many topics as possible, you will hopefully be better prepared. The list below is predicted list of topics for this period that are due to be recycled. Also prepare other common topics, click here: Speaking Section.

Do not memorise whole answers. Prepare ideas and useful vocabulary that you can use naturally in your test. Remember to be natural and chatty – not rehearsed or repeating from memory.

IELTS Speaking Part 1 Topics May-Aug 2020

The list below shows topics that could appear in IELTS Speaking Part 1. This part lasts from 4-5 mins in length. Answer directly and then add one or two sentences more. Be prepared for the examiner to take the lead and interrupt your answers. Can you find more common topics here: Common Part 1 Topics which will likely appear in your test.

  1. Work/Study
  2. Your home or your house
  3. Where you come from originally
  4. Friends, friendship and socialising
  5. Family (people in your family and relationships)
  6. Diet – types of food, meals, places to eat
  7. Plants, flowers and places in nature (beauty spots)
  8. School, subjects, homework and teachers
    1. languages, history, geography (maps), cookery, art
    2. science, maths, technology, social sciences
    3. note: IELTS do not use political or religious topics.
  9. Holidays, places to stay, activities, journey
  10. Health and exercise (including gentle exercise)
  11. Leisure time
  12. Sport – types of sport
  13. Animals – types of animals, your experience of animals
  14. Visitors to your home
  15. Bags, Shoes and Accessories
  16. Shops & Purchases & Money
  17. Routine – your day and night routines – changing routines
  18. Gifts and special occasions
  19. Cars, buses, trains and planes
  20. Music, songs and singing
  21. Bread and rice: staple foods
  22. Films & TV
  23. Writing – letters, emails, messages
  24. Happiness, enjoyment and fun
  25. Museums and Galleries
  26. Weather

May-Aug IELTS Speaking Part 2 Predicted Topics

Use your 1 mins planning time to think about language as well as ideas that you want to use in your talk. Try to speak for 2 mins. I will add to this list as more topics are reported. Part 3 will last for between 4 and 5 mins. Part 3 is the discussion where the examiner might challenge your answers and push you for more detail – give as much as you can in your answers.

The examiner will have many topics to choose from in part 2. So, I’ve put some predicted topics and also common topics that are frequently used.

The bullet points below are the usual directions that part 3 can take. Part 3 is a discussion so be prepared for the examiner to interrupt and challenge you.

  1. An animal
    • Part 3 questions about:
    • Pets, Zoos, Vegetarianism
  2. A healthy activity
    1. keeping healthy, types of exercise and sport
    2. dangerous sports, bad lifestyles, hobbies
  3. A family member
    1. spending time with family, older generations, family roles
  4. A successful business
    1. local products, success in business, skills for success, family run business, international/local business, business in your area (shops), famous brands
  5. A quiet or crowded place
    1. places to relax, crowds, stress, health concerns around other people, mental health, balanced life style
  6. An old person you admire
    1. retirement, taking care of the elderly
  7. A charity
    1. volunteer work, helping people, types of problems in society
  8. A book
    1. types of books, books & real life stories, films, children stories, learning, e-books etc.
  9. A meal
    1. healthy eating, restaurants, home cooking, food allergies, the food industry
  10. A famous Person
    1. TV or music stars, role models, how media influences people

Usual Types of Part 2 Topics

The topics below are divided into common types. These are the usual types of topics you get in part 2 which are based on everyday life. Remember, IELTS Speaking Part 2 is not about knowledge, it is just a chance to speak at length on a topic that touches everyone’s life.

A person

  • old or young people
  • famous people or people you wish you could meet
  • professions and jobs in society and that help the environment
  • family, friends and strangers
  • children and teenagers

Place

  • to relax, to have fun, to learn, to meet people
  • quiet place, busy place, crowded place, interesting place, colourful place
  • in nature,
  • cities, towns, parks
  • hotels, restaurants, libraries, shops
  • a house, your neighbourhood, 
  • a foreign country and place you wish you could visit
  • a place from your childhood or a recent place you have visited

Objects

  • films, books, newspapers
  • clothes, furniture, recently bought items
  • gifts, art, a souvenir
  • a device, a toy, a game
  • animal, bird, plant, flower, garden park
  • a meal
  • a charity, a business, an organisation

Abstract objects

  • websites, skills (learned and innate), a language, useful advice, information
  • holidays, travel, journeys – recent or didn’t go as planned
  • future goals, dreams
  • routine, hobby, activity 
  • something that hindered you, something that helped you
  • weather, seasons, sky, stars, climates, environmental problem
  • professions and jobs 

A time when

  • you were happy, sad, bored, exited, worried, embarrassed, disappointed, confused
  • you helped someone, someone helped you, you got advice, you gave advice etc, you got news, you told someone good news
  • you got lost, you found something, you learned something, you achieved something, you forgot something, you remembered something important

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Free Speaking Tips

For tips, free video lessons and model answer for speaking, go to the HOME page of this site and read how to access them.

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E-BOOKS for Ideas & Grammar

Just a reminder that my Ideas for Topics E-book and my Grammar E-book are available in my store. Both will help improve with your level of English. Click here: Visit Store

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May 2020 IELTS Speaking Topic: Colours

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Colours is a topic currently being used in IELTS Speaking Part 2 and Part 3. Below you will find the cue card being used with a model answer and some Part 3 questions that might follow. This topic will probably run from May – August 2020. I’ll update more topics as they are reported. Meanwhile, make sure you prepare from previous topics which will no doubt be recycled this month. Click here: IELTS Speaking Topics so far in 2020.

Below you will find:

  1. IELTS Speaking Cue Card “Colourful Place” with Model Answer
  2. Review Questions & Tips
  3. Speaking Part 3 Questions
  4. Speaking Part 1 Questions
  5. Vocabulary for Colours
  6. Thank you message from Liz

1) Colours: IELTS Speaking Part 2

Below you will find a cue card and model answer for the Speaking Part 2 Topic: A Colourful Place. This topic frequently appears in IELTS Speaking.

Cue Card: Describe a colourful place that you have visited.

  • where it was
  • when you went there
  • what you did there
  • why you thought it was colourful

Model Answer for “A Colourful Place”

The model answer below is a band 9. Answer:

It isn’t easy to decide on just one colourful place to talk about because I have been to so many. But I’d like to talk about somewhere in Vietnam where the colour is a type of beauty beyond anything I have seen before. It’s a place that I will never forget.

The name of the place is Hoi An. It’s a small town located in central Vietnam not far from the sea. It is a UNESCO heritage site known for it’s stunning buildings, which were mainly one or two storey high, and it’s amazing colours. The first time I went there was about 8 years ago when I was travelling through Vietnam on vacation on my own. Since then, I’ve visited a number of times and I’m sure I’ll return again one day.

From the moment I arrived I was struck by the incredible colour of the traditional houses. They were nearly all painted a soft pastel yellow with tropical flowers and plants growing around them. In the daylight it was stunning but as evening came, the glow from the setting sun turning everything golden. The colours were almost ethereal. I’m really not surprised it’s a UNESCO heritage site and extremely popular with photographers. When I was there, I only had a basic camera. But if I had known how lovely it was, I would have taken my best camera with me.

I can’t say I did very much there. It was possible to get clothes made by tailors, travel down the river to the sea, take a cookery course to learn Vietnamese cuisine and learn about lantern making. However, all I wanted to do was mainly soak in the sites and the gentle, inspiring colours. I admit I did enjoy the food in the local restaurants and the seafood was the most delicious I’ve had. I can’t remember ever having eaten any squid as tender or any mackerel as tasty. 

The whole atmosphere made me feel lucky to be alive. Even now when I’m stuck at home, I can recall those sites and I remember the wonderful feeling I had at that time. It helps me remember that we live in a remarkably colourful world.

2) Review Questions & Tips

Questions about Language Content

This cue card is a past tense topic about a place you have been to before. Staying true to the past tense is important. You need to show the examiner you can speak in the past tense for 2 mins. However, it is also very important to showcase other tenses and grammar features.

  1. Can you spot a third conditional statement?
  2. Can you spot a future tense?
  3. Can you spot a present perfect?
  4. Can you spot a present simple?
  5. Can you spot a superlative?
  6. Can you spot any useful descriptive language?
  7. Can you spot any particular language about colour?

Using first, second and third conditional statements is a great way to showcase your grammar skills and boost your score. Part 2 is the best time to use conditional statements because you have 1 mins to plan what to include in your talk. Showcasing a range of grammar tenses and showing the ability to change from one tense to another is essential for a high score. Description is also something you need to think about and plan in part 2.

Cue Card Tips

  • Use your 1 min planning time to plan not only ideas, but also language you wish to showcase.
  • Use the prompts. They will help you build a structure to your talk.
  • Go beyond the prompts. Add rich description – paint a picture.
  • Even if all you did was “walk around”, talk about what other options of activities there were. Add more. Showcase your English. You can mention both what you did and what you didn’t do.
  • Showcase a range of grammar tenses and other features as explained above.
  • Keep talking. You can also add recommendations, suggestions, opinions, other people’s opinions etc.
  • Don’t worry about time, the examiner will control the time and stop you when 2 mins is up.
  • You do not need to conclude your talk.

What else could you talk about with the topic “colourful place”?

  • someone’s house
  • a garden or a park
  • a street, town or city
  • a market (for clothes, food or spices)
  • an art gallery

Similar Cue Cards about Colour:

  1. Describe your favourite colour
  2. Describe a colourful event you have attended

3) Colours: IELTS Speaking Part 3 Questions

  1. Do colours affect our mood? In what way?
  2. Do you think the colours a person chooses to wear illustrates something about their character? OR – Are certain colours connected to particular character traits?
  3. Do you think men and women like to wear similar colours?
  4. How are colours used in advertising? OR – Do you think colour plays an important role in marketing and advertising?
  5. Do you think colour is important for company uniforms?
  6. Is there any particular colour that is symbolic in your country?
  7. Are there any colours that are connected to festivals in your country?
  8. Are there any specific colours used to decorate homes in your country?
  9. Are there any colours in your country that are considered lucky or unlucky?
  10. Do you think colour is important in text books?
  11. Do you think children should be given colourful storybooks to read?

4) Speaking Part 1 Colours

Although this topic isn’t being used as a part 1 topic at the moment, it can appear in part 1. As you will see below, some questions overlap with Speaking Part 3. However, in part 1, you are expected to give shorter answers.

  1. What is your favourite colour?
  2. Are there any colours you dislike?
  3. Is there any colour you would never wear?
  4. Do you prefer dark or light colours?
  5. What colours do you have in your home or on the walls of your home?
  6. Were colours important to you when you were a child?
  7. Do you think the colour people like changes as they grow older?
  8. Do you think colour shows us things about people’s character?
  9. Do you think men and women like different colours?
  10. Are there any popular colours in your country?

5) Vocabulary for Colours

  • vivid
  • bright
  • deep
  • rich
  • soft
  • pastel
  • harsh (this can be used to describe very bright, unpleasant colours)
  • loud (to describe very bright colours that you can’t ignore)
  • neutral
  • multicoloured
  • vibrant

Don’t just say “it was blue” – describe the blue:

  • deep blue, sky blue, soft blue, pastel blue, navy blue, aquamarine, midnight blue
  • If you can’t remember the exact words, paraphrase – it was a blue that reminded me of a gentle summer’s day / the blue was darker than the sky just before nightfall. 

6) Thank you from Liz

I just want to say thank you to all of you who responded to my post last week called “My Story”. I have posted a message to you all back on the original page at the end of my story. Needless to say, I was deeply touched by your comments. To read my thank you message and return to My Story Page, click here: Liz’s Personal Story

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Determination and Success – My Story (by Liz)

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Hi guys,

This is my personal story. I am sharing it with you to show how keeping positive, using time effectively and staying determined can change your life regardless of how difficult your situation might be right now. I hope my story will inspire you to be proactive and keep strong during the Coronavirus situation. Make a cup of tea, sit back and read about success through adversity 🙂

In 2013, my health collapsed. I became very seriously sick. I lost my job. I lost most of my money. I lost my friends. I lost my apartment. I lost my independence. I was too sick to go outside. I was locked in. I struggled to walk around the house and all basic actions (even washing my hair) were very difficult. At times, just sitting in a chair was incredibly painful and I had to return to my bed to lie in isolation, darkness and silence. I couldn’t get food for myself. I struggled to speak easily. I was sick and seriously disabled.

The doctors told me there was nothing they could do to help me. They said I would probably be sick for quite a long time, but they couldn’t say how long or even if I would ever recover. My situation was similar to the uncertain situation many of you face today with Coronavirus. Feeling you have no control over your lives or your future. Watching all your dreams and plans disappearing and there’s nothing you can do. Feeling worried and alone. The feeling of isolation from the world became normal for me when I was sick. But I wasn’t facing a few weeks or months without work, without income, without health, without friends, without freedom – I was facing years.

It took about a year of suffering for my health to improve enough for me to be able to sit on a sofa and use a laptop for 30 mins or 1 hour a day. I started making plans for a website to give people free lessons for IELTS. But I was still so sick. It was all very difficult. Even typing was hard because I struggled to use my arms. After 6 months, I was well enough to make video lessons in a spare bedroom. All my videos were made by myself while I was sick. My website and videos started to become popular in 2015.

I believe that each situation we face is a challenge. And many challenges have to be fought psychologically. Each day I woke up and decided – what single thing can I do today? I had little strength. But I did have determination, a strategic approach and a positive mindset to improve my life in small ways. My tips are:

  1. Never wake up and compare your life today to what you had before or what you don’t have anymore or what other people have.
  2. Try. Just because your dream seems distant or impossible right now, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Trying is what it is all about. The more you try, the more doors open. You might just discover you have incredible hidden gifts that you didn’t know about 🙂
  3. Always find the positive in what you choose to do or what you must do. Your perspective matters. Smile and enjoy – it makes everything easier.
  4. Don’t listen to negative voices in your head or from others. If you are surrounded by negativity, drown it out by filling your mind and life with positive thoughts. It isn’t easy. It’s a challenge, but you can do it. 
  5. If things get hard for you, reach out to someone or find a solution. The very strongest and most success people are often those who have known what it feels like to struggle or suffer. Making wise choices at tough times is what it is all about. 
  6. Don’t delay. None of us know what is round the corner. Use the uncertainty you find yourself in to remind yourself that time matters.
  7. Life is a gift. Appreciate it. Like many gifts, there may be incredible surprises inside if you learn to use it well 🙂 Don’t presume life is just a box to open, it is an opportunity and you are responsible to make the most of it.

To continue with my story, in 2015 it looked like my life was going to get better at last. A successful website and improved health. It felt exciting. But on December 25th, 2015, my health collapsed again for a second time. This was the hardest time for me. I had already been fighting for 2.5 years and now I had to face more years in sickness and pain. I felt deep despair at this time. The support from my family started to fail. I ended up living completely alone while still being sick, disabled and unable to walk outside.

I have been living in considerable isolation since 2016. For these years, I have talked with a human being for only about 1 hour a week. There have been times when I have struggled, both physically and emotionally. Of course with the Coronavirus lockdown, I now do not see anyone at all. Worse still, during these years, I have rarely received any loving messages from my family to keep me strong and give me comfort.

When you face such situations on your own, I believe you must find strength, love and positivity within yourself. If other people don’t give you love, give it to yourself. If others are not a source of strength for you, find that strength within yourself or by reading about inspirational people. If you feel alone, connect to something within yourself that connects us all together and nourishes us. Surround yourself and give yourself what you need to survive and conquer. Never let fear, doubt or complacency stand in your way. Never let any situation or any person stop you from moving forward with your life. Achieving success is within us all.

The concept of “seize the day” is well known, but how many of us actually live this way? While I was sick, I wasn’t able to “seize the day” because I was unwell most of the day. But I did seize 15 mins, 30 mins, one hour or two hours when possible. With such little strength and such little time, I achieved great success. Small steps are not less valuable than large steps. They all lead somewhere. They can lead you to success. But many of us delay too long or give up too soon because we don’t get what we want quickly enough or because it was harder than we imagined. Be patient. Persevere. Trust in your future. Keep taking those small steps with a focused, clear mind. Don’t just take those small steps to achieve success, take those small steps because you love life and you love what you do. Your perspective will change everything.

I became successful by taking very small steps. I never gave up. I stayed determined, focused and positive no matter what life threw at me. My Youtube channel has now reached just over 1 million subscribers. My website is one of the biggest worldwide for IELTS preparation. I have just over 1,000 high band score results shared by successful IELTS candidates (Results Page) which keep me encouraged to continue my work. Knowing that I help people reach their future goals is a wonderful way to live. By working from a sofa whilst being sick at home, I have achieved all this.

I hope my story and my perspectives of how I created a bright future while in isolation, uncertainty and sickness will help you at this difficult time. I hope you will all find happiness and strength even though your lives are not as you wish them to be right now. There are so many positive things you can do even if they do not seem to have a direct impact on your future plans – they will help indirectly in ways you can’t imagine right now.

Your life is not at a stand still because you are in lockdown. If you continue developing and being proactive each day, your life will be moving forward regardless of your geography.

Keep Positive! Stay Focused! Be Proactive! Continue taking those Small Steps 🙂

I am thinking of you all at this time.

All the best

Liz

Please feel free to share your own positive stories or thoughts in the comments box below 🙂

Thank you message from Liz: I would like to thank you all for your kind responses to my story. I apologise for not being able to answer each of your comments individually. However, I read each one carefully and was touched by them all. Your instinctive insight really affected me.

I have always had deep respect for anyone striving to change their lives for the better. It takes a certain type of person to do this. IELTS is a steppingstone to a new and hopefully better future for you all. While you have been striving to push past frustrations or disappointments, I have been in a similar situation but for a different reason. Maybe that is why this website has such positive vibes. We understand one another, respect one another and appreciate one another 😊

There are some of you out there who are struggling right now with extremely difficult situations, some much worse than mine. Take strength in my story and take those small steps whenever you are able. Changing your situation at this moment in time might not be possible, but you can still allow positive energy to come into your life regardless of your situation. From actively learning something new, developing a new skill or helping others to just simply appreciating the beauty of a flower, all these tiny positive thoughts and actions will help to gradually change life as you know it. For those of you who have survived past suffering, I hope you will also share your story one day. By sharing our stories, we remind ourselves and each other of what life is really about.

Behind a smile may be a painful past. Behind tears and weakness may be a hero. Never be too quick to judge.

Thank you all for your kindness and support. Good luck to you all !! 😊 All the best, Liz

FREE IELTS Lessons: This website contains hundreds of pages of free lessons, tips, model answers, topics etc. Go to the HOME page to access them.

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Countries and using “the” – Answers

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Below are the answers and explanation for the lesson about using the article “the” when referring to countries and nationalities.

If you have not completed the test already, please do so now. To complete the test, click here: Articles & Countries Grammar Test

Country Names and THE

Almost all country names do not require the article “the”. We refer to France, England, Britain, Vietnam, Canada, China, India – all without “the”.

However, there are exceptions. Countries that are made up of a group of states or islands use “the”, such as the Philippines and the US. Any country that uses the words “states” or “united” or “republic” also use “the”, for example the UK, the US, the Republic of China.

Please note, the word “Britain” is not a synonym for England. Britain means the UK. Britain refers to the group of countries that make up the UK: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The word “Britain” actually means “Great Britain”.

Nationalities

We need to use the article “the” when referring to nationalities as a group of people: the British, the Americans, the Chinese, the Vietnamese, the English.

Do not confuse the rule of nationalities, above, with a different rule about using similar words as part of a noun phrase where it does not form the main noun. For example, the words “a British car” is a noun phrase and in that noun phrase the word “car” is the main noun, not the word “British”. So, the rule about using “the” with nationalities is only when referring to a group of people under the umbrella of their nationality – not when using the nationality as an adjective to another noun. One more example: “the hard-working British” is a noun phrase referring to the whole group of British people as a nationality and requires “the”. But we could say “a hard-working British man” – in this noun phrase, the word “man” is the main noun and can use any article depending on how the noun is used. To learn more about this, refer to two chapters in my Grammar E-book: the chapter on Articles and the chapter on Noun Phrases. Also note that when referring to “Americans”, it is possible to drop the article “Americans are friendly” and it is also possible to use “the” – “The Americans are friendly”.

I hope you found this useful. Rules about articles (a / an / the) can feel confusing. But you can learn them all simply and easily in my new Grammar E-book 🙂

Answers for the Grammar Test:

Number 3 “the America” is wrong. Number 4 “the Britain” is wrong. Number 8 “the England” is wrong.

Correct: the British, the UK, the English, the US, the Americans. Note it is also possible to say “Americans” without an article as noted on the page above.

Grammar E-book

My Grammar E-book is now available in my online store. There is a comprehensive chapter on Articles as well as over 200 pages of other grammar to push your English to a higher level. You will find content and details of the e-book given in my store. See below:

CLICK HERE: VISIT STORE

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Quick Grammar Test: Countries and use of “the”

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Many people make mistakes using “the” when referring to countries. For example, we say “the Philippines” and “France” (without the). This can be confusing for many people.

Below is a short test to see if you can use the defined article “the” correctly in relation to countries and nationalities.

Question: Which of the following are wrong?

  1. the British
  2. the UK
  3. the America
  4. the Britain
  5. the English
  6. the US
  7. the Americans
  8. the England

Answers

You can find the answers by clicking below:

CLICK HERE: ANSWERS TO THIS TEST

All the best,

Liz

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Grammar E-book Now Available

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Hi guys,

Below are some details of my new Grammar E-book.

Aims of Grammar E-book:

  1. English Language Development – to take your English to a higher level by learning complex grammar in easy steps.
  2. Writing Task 2 – tips and specific focus pages to help you increase your score through grammar.

There are over 300 pages of grammar tips, lessons, explanations and illustrations of complex grammar which also include a Workbook of exercises. This e-book is a great way to improve your English grammar and push your level up by learning complex grammar features. 

Do you want to know what is in this e-book?

Click below for a preview of the chapters and some extra details:

Would you like to get this e-book?

Payment

My online store accepts all major cards from almost all countries around the world. Or you can use Paypal.

All the best, stay safe & keep learning 🙂

Liz

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